Evolution of the Internet, web-based computing, and mobile computing, including the increasingly widespread availability of broadband connections and the availability and capabilities of consumer computing devices including but not limited to mobile computing devices such as pad/tablet devices and smartphones, has led to continuing evolution and growth of online applications such as online games, social media applications, and so on in which users may establish a web presence within a virtual community. As an example, online games, may allow one, two, or more players, in some cases even thousands of players, to simultaneously participate in a game from consumer devices coupled to a network. Online games may include everything from relatively simple, two-dimensional (2D) casual games to more complex 2D or three-dimensional (3D) action or strategy games that may involve one or more players in a game session, to world-building multiplayer games, to complex 3D massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) such as massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) that may simultaneously support hundreds or thousands of players in a persistent online virtual world or universe.
In addition, the evolution and availability of technology has led to the continuing growth of online sales. Product producers and service providers make any number of physical products or services available to customers over intermediate networks such as the Internet via web sites, web applications, mobile applications and so on. Physical products or services may be offered online via websites or applications of the product producers or service providers, or may be offered via websites or applications of online merchants that offer products and/or services from many different providers to their customers.
While embodiments are described herein by way of example for several embodiments and illustrative drawings, those skilled in the art will recognize that embodiments are not limited to the embodiments or drawings described. It should be understood, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit embodiments to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope as defined by the appended claims. The headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and are not meant to be used to limit the scope of the description or the claims. As used throughout this application, the word “may” is used in a permissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potential to), rather than the mandatory sense (i.e., meaning must). Similarly, the words “include”, “including”, and “includes” mean including, but not limited to.